San Andreas Fault Bike Tour: Scenic Wilderness Ride

268 Ratings

Palm Desert

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Embark on a thrilling downhill bike tour through Earthquake Canyon. Experience stunning desert vistas, rugged canyons, and lush valleys. Perfect for adventure seekers!

Duration: 4 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

San Andreas Fault - The route cuts through the heart of the San Andreas Fault in the Meccacopia Wilderness just outside of Mecca, CA
Salton Sea - Magnificent views of the Salton Sea as guests round the last corner coming out of the canyon

What's Included

Professional guide
Bottled water
Use of bicycle
Driver/guide
Snacks
Use of helmet
Live commentary on board

What's Not Included

Gratuities

Additional Information

Embark on a downhill bicycle tour along a paved road through a Federally protected Wilderness area, tracing the San Andreas Fault. Participants will enjoy breathtaking views of the expansive Colorado Desert, navigate through a rugged badlands canyon, and conclude with stunning vistas of the Santa Rosa Mountains, riding through the agricultural fields of…

Location

Big Wheel Tours & Palm Desert Bike Rentals

California 111

Ample parking on the block in front our Palm Desert store available. Restrooms available as well.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.9

(268 Ratings)

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Rhs1980

Jan 19, 2026

Earthquake bike ride - Great experience. Wonderful tour guide. We had a fun ride through the canyon.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Intraveler1991

Jan 3, 2026

Great Family Experience - Our group, which consisted of 14 people with ages from 13 to 56, thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It was easy and the scenery was great. The insight on the area from the guides was excellent as was the overall service. Really appreciate them accommodating our large group when we booked just one day prior to our ride. Highly recommended this business!!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Jessica_k

Jan 2, 2026

Great guide (Dale!) -... - Great guide (Dale!) - really fun way to explore the area. Not very hard but enough that it felt worth it! Thank you!

Review provided by Viator

Heidi_h

Dec 23, 2025

Riding through a painting! - What a marvelous trip! The canyon is gorgeous and Ben’s tutorials were fascinating and very much enhanced our appreciation of the ride.

Review provided by Viator

Mere181

Nov 29, 2025

Fun and educational experience! - Our bike ride was wonderful and our guides amazing! We enjoyed Ben’s vast knowledge of the ecosystem and wildlife- highly recommend this entertaining and educational excursion!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Michaelod7104yr

Nov 6, 2025

Fun in the Sun!!! - A great ride, super easy. Almost all slight downhill. Excellent service from staff, also rented a very nice road bike a couple of days ago. Highly recommended this business!!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Michaelrd6007ow

May 30, 2025

Incredible Experience, Outstanding Guide! - What a spectacular outing with my wife and tour guide, Captain Ron! This route along the San Andreas from the high desert down through the canyon to the Saltan Sea provided plenty of stunning views, geological marvels, and wildlife encounters. Although the downhill nature of the route affords an easy peddling experience, you can still get a workout if you desire at higher gears. Views and exercise aside, what really made the excursion outstanding and memorable was the personality, knowledge, and professionalism of our guide. Ron is a walking encyclopedia with regards to the seismology, geology, history, biology, and intimate familiarity with the area. I highly recommend Big Wheel Tours and the Earthquake Canyon Downhill Bicycle Adventure!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Lisacu9754yg

May 13, 2025

Fascinating bike ride - A great experience! On the drive to and from the bike ride we learned all kinds of things related to the area, from earthquakes to the Salton Sea to water management….super interesting. We did the bike ride on a very hot day, but since it is a downhill ride, you don’t really exert yourself and there’s a nice breeze from the bike, so don’t let high temps deter you. (It got up to 107 that day in Palm Springs, not sure exactly what it was when we biked) It is amazing what topography is covered in the course of 20 miles - start in a desert, go through a crazy canyon and end in the super green crops of the town of Mecca. A great time was had - highly recommend!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Cindylm5783jz

Apr 25, 2025

Fun bike ride into earthquake canyon - The tour was excellent. Good safe equipment , our guide Ron was knowledgeable and informative. The scenery was awesome. Definitely recommend this

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Emily_n_jim

Jan 1, 2026

Need to maintain their bikes - My problem with this tour was the quality of the bikes. My oldest son’s chain came off at the end of the first 7 miles, just before the first stop. He was able to coast to the stop and it was fixed. On the second leg I realized that while others were literally coasting, I was peddling for all I had! When I commented about it, the guide said “sometimes that’s just how it is”. Fortunately, my youngest son picked up the bike and figured out that the breaks were sticking on the back tire. The mechanic came over to fix it and off we went. Another 4 miles and again people are coasting while I’m peddling constantly. Next stop we find that the breaks were still sticking. This time it did get fixed but by this time there were only 4 miles left. Basically, it wasn’t very enjoyable. It seems like maybe they need to do a better job to maintain their bikes. My sons enjoyed the tour however. I was expecting a little nicer experience for what was paid.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Check Availability

From $151

up to 15 guests

2 - Adult